Use UCS or rotate

[bob.kalsi66006]

Now i've been using CAD now for over 3 years and i would say i am pretty good and quick at not only using it but drawing to. I used a drawing board for 10 years prior to CAD to college and university. I work as an Architectural Drafter and all i draw is simple plans and elevations. All drawings i doo are purely for planning applications and are not working/techincal drawings.....basically they're pretty drawings showing cars, trees and people.

A manager in my office who is a bit of a maverick suggested i set up UCS's when i draw elevations. This to me did not make any sense as i would just simply rotate what i'm drawing. His reason for using UCS's was that the drawing is more accurate and that the UCS is like a drawing board. My responce to him was this:

"If im sitting at the drawing board with a piece of paper, i would rather rotate the drawing than to move my chair around"

This just shut him up but he still insisted that using UCS's for simple plans and elevations was the way to go. I still disagree to this. Am i wrong?

[Mike.Perry]

Hi Bob

Please note I have *moved* this thread from the CAD Standards (http://forums.augi.com/forumdisplay.php?f=264) forum to this one, as I feel this particular forum is a more appropriate place for such a topic.

Thanks, Mike

Forum Manager

[bob.kalsi66006]

Hi Bob

Please note I have *moved* this thread from the CAD Standards (http://forums.augi.com/forumdisplay.php?f=264) forum to this one, as I feel this particular forum is a more appropriate place for such a topic.

Thanks, Mike

Forum Manager

No worries Mike...cheers.

[Mike.Perry]

<SNIP>

A manager in my office who is a bit of a maverick suggested i set up UCS's when i draw elevations. This to me did not make any sense as i would just simply rotate what i'm drawing. His reason for using UCS's was that the drawing is more accurate and that the UCS is like a drawing board. My responce to him was this:

<SNIP>Hi

Do you mean...

You actually select Objects and Rotate them to suit the Elevations you are drawing ?

If yes, I would definitely look into setting-up UCS's and using the ._Plan command OR USCFollow = 1 OR...

If no, please explain some more.

Have a good one, Mike

[bob.kalsi66006]

Hi

Do you mean...

You actually select Objects and Rotate them to suit the Elevations you are drawing ?

If yes, I would definitely look into setting-up UCS's and using the ._Plan command OR USCFollow = 1 OR...

If no, please explain some more.

Have a good one, Mike

Yes when i'm drawing elevations i rotate the plans to Ray off them and draw the ele's....i just find this method very easy and logical.....

I tried to understand the UCS thing but it just didn't click to be honest....
Is using the UCS method easier and why should i use it if the mtheod i'm using now works great for me?

[Mike.Perry]

Yes when i'm drawing elevations i rotate the plans to Ray off them and draw the ele's....i just find this method very easy and logical.....

I tried to understand the UCS thing but it just didn't click to be honest....
Is using the UCS method easier and why should i use it if the mtheod i'm using now works great for me?Hi

Do you...

* Copy the Plans, then Rotate the Copy.
OR
* Rotate the Plans, drawing your Elevations, then Rotate Plans ( and Elevations ) back to original location.
OR
* Something completely different.

Setting up UCS's and working with them, really is not that difficult ( let me search (http://forums.augi.com/search.php?) for some information, I will post back ).

Personally I always go with setting-up UCS's as required.

Have a good one, Mike

[Mike.Perry]

<SNIP>

Setting up UCS's and working with them, really is not that difficult ( let me search (http://forums.augi.com/search.php?) for some information, I will post back ).

<SNIP>Hi

Here you go...

RE: World View

Have a good one, Mike

[bob.kalsi66006]

Hi

Do you...

* Copy the Plans, then Rotate the Copy.
OR
* Rotate the Plans, drawing your Elevations, then Rotate Plans ( and Elevations ) back to original location.
OR
* Something completely different.

Setting up UCS's and working with them, really is not that difficult ( let me search (http://forums.augi.com/search.php?) for some information, I will post back ).

Personally I always go with setting-up UCS's as required.

Have a good one, Mike

Well when drawing an elevation for a building, there's always 4 elevations. What i do is i copy the set of plans and rotate them to the elevation that will be drawn. So there's 4 sets of plans rotated at different angles. I then Ray off the plan corners and junctions to make up my elevation.

I don't mind using UCS's but i disagree to the point that it will make my drawing more accurate. If i was drawing a site plan i would understand as accuracy is important but not when drawing simple plans and eles.

[Mike.Perry]

Well when drawing an elevation for a building, there's always 4 elevations. What i do is i copy the set of plans and rotate them to the elevation that will be drawn. So there's 4 sets of plans rotated at different angles. I then Ray off the plan corners and junctions to make up my elevation.

<SNIP>Hi

So you could end-up with 5 sets of plans ( Original, plus 4 Copies, Rotated ).

Say the Plan goes through a major update... Delete 4 Copies. Copy and Rotate Plan, 4 times.

If working with UCS's - 1 Plan ( Original ), that's it.

Just my personal opinion.

Have a good one, Mike

[The VLG]

For some reason architects always seem to have a bad rep with engineers & I think that one reason seems to be (speaking from experience) is that when we receive drawings from them is that they can be rotated/scaled/moved into strange locations so that we have to spend our time trying to 'fix' them so that we can xref them into our drawings.
Even when the original info comes from us (in the shape of survey for example) a lot of architects still seem to feel the need to move things around.
Now let me make it clear that this is now across the board & you do make the point that you are not suppling your drawing to other parties.
But I would just think that you are putting extra work into you drafting that really is nit needed.
Using USC is more like rotating your old drafting board the using rotate, I think that rotate would be like cutting out the drawing from the middle of the page & taping it in place.
Try to take the time to use UCS it will stand you in good stead if you move company or practices change where you are.

[bob.kalsi66006]

Hi

So you could end-up with 5 sets of plans ( Original, plus 4 Copies, Rotated ).

Say the Plan goes through a major update... Delete 4 Copies. Copy and Rotate Plan, 4 times.

If working with UCS's - 1 Plan ( Original ), that's it.

Just my personal opinion.

Have a good one, Mike

That does make a lot of sense to me Mike and i can see how my method could be more time consumming.......think i might have to take a closer look at ucs's. Looked at those links you posted and they seem like a gfood place to start. Cheers

[.chad]

I personally cant stand the UCSFollow command, I frequently set a UCS to an object when working on sites, and waiting for CAD to catch up is irritating. I would recomend setting a UCS to each side of the project, then aligning a view to each UCS, then just changing the view around as needed (a streamlined approach to UCS -> Plan imo.)

[cholmes]

In my opinion, using the UCS and rotating around it doesn't seem like the best method. When you are done with your elevations, they are all oriented a different direction (for example the "back" elevation would be upside down if you are drawing these around the floor plan.

What I think is a better option would be to xref the plan into a new drawing, then copy and rotate it for each elevation needed. This way, all of your elevations can have one consistent baseline (great for matching up roof heights, etc.) and you still only have one plan to deal with, since it is xref'd in. Any changes made in the basefile would be reflected in each copied plan in the elevation drawing.

I have never really been a fan of changing the ucs around, although I know there are many people that are.

[Chris.N]

here is what i do:

i created a pull-down menu that has a 'World view' option to reset the UCS, and then i also have 2 rotate UCS options. one has the UCSFOLLOW set to 1 prior to UCS ('Z') rotation, and that one allows me to work on all elevations normally while leaving them orthographically projected around the xref'd plan. when i set up the rough elevations using this method, i also save views of each elevation so that i can just drag-n-drop them into my sheets using the SSM.
the option to rotate with USCFOLLOW set to 0 allows me to array in directions other than horiz. or vertically, without rotating my view.

when done messing about with rotated UCS's, the World View reset option is one click.

i do this myself because lined-up elevations just bug me. someone usually misses alignment changes and i've had nothing but problems with those when going to create a 3D from someone else's elevations.

:beer: hey, this is a good thread discussion! ;)

[bob.kalsi66006]

Seems to me i'm the only one in this thread that never ever uses UCS's and to be bluntly honest with you folks i don't think i will. I mean there's lots of ways of doing one thing with CAD and i've seemed to havw found mine which i understand. Funnily enough, after looking at a few website and on here about UCSs' and i still don't get it :lol: and it's not a problem for me.

[jaberwok]

Seems to me i'm the only one in this thread that never ever uses UCS's and to be bluntly honest with you folks i don't think i will. I mean there's lots of ways of doing one thing with CAD and i've seemed to havw found mine which i understand. Funnily enough, after looking at a few website and on here about UCSs' and i still don't get it :lol: and it's not a problem for me.

FWIW, I only use UCSs for 3d modelling.

[jaberwok]

In my opinion, using the UCS and rotating around it doesn't seem like the best method. When you are done with your elevations, they are all oriented a different direction (for example the "back" elevation would be upside down if you are drawing these around the floor plan.

That's one of the differences with mech eng - a back view SHOULD be upside down.

:roll:

[Comach]

That's one of the differences with mech eng - a back view SHOULD be upside down.
For mechanical engineering this is probably correct, for buildings definitely not the way to go. Kinda difficult trying to construct a building from the ground level up if the drawing view is roof-side down!

Not forgetting of course the planning regulatory requirements and Architectural standard drawing practices.

I guess there may also be differences in application of 1st and 3rd angle projections - but hey that may be a discussion point for the future!!

Different criteria for different disciplines !


What I think is a better option would be to xref the plan into a new drawing, then copy and rotate it for each elevation needed.
With regards to the initial forum question, the xref might be a good option as mentioned. Actually I think this may be what your manager had in mind - because if you xref your plan you can retain one master file and copy and rotate as cholmes indicated or simply orientate your UCS for each elevation drawing.

Now this is the interesting bit if you plan to use paper space viewports you can set each one with a different orientation to reset all the elevations, if utilising the latter, to their correct viewing orientation.

[Alex Page]

Slash...my personal opinion is the same exactly the same as CHOLMES reply above....

This method is even in our CAD Manual....why?
1. you can draw your elevations and then use your construction (or ray) lines to line up everything.
2. We always use the most efficeint system where possible (ie: why overcomplicate the process?) as long as it doesnt take away important advantages of using cad (ie: xref plans in).

Slash, This is always a bit of a learning process to find the best method which suits you/ your firm (as in 2. above)...you might find a really cool way of using xrefs, this/ that and the other so everything is automated down to the details...BUT then you find that it takes longer to do, half the users only need to do this process once a year so f**k it up, and you end up checking everything manually anyway!

So CHOLMES way is the way I would definetly recommend.....easy to do and easy to modify elevations, the trick is using xrefs for the plan

[bob.kalsi66006]

Slash...my personal opinion is the same exactly the same as CHOLMES reply above....

This method is even in our CAD Manual....why?
1. you can draw your elevations and then use your construction (or ray) lines to line up everything.
2. We always use the most efficeint system where possible (ie: why overcomplicate the process?) as long as it doesnt take away important advantages of using cad (ie: xref plans in).

Slash, This is always a bit of a learning process to find the best method which suits you/ your firm (as in 2. above)...you might find a really cool way of using xrefs, this/ that and the other so everything is automated down to the details...BUT then you find that it takes longer to do, half the users only need to do this process once a year so f**k it up, and you end up checking everything manually anyway!

So CHOLMES way is the way I would definetly recommend.....easy to do and easy to modify elevations, the trick is using xrefs for the plan

Funnily enough i was thinking this last night when i was at home. I think it's better to xref the plan into my elevation drawing and draw up the elevations that way. This way i won't have to constantly copy in the new plans everytime they get changed.

[scott.wilcox]

For those of us in the civil world, the UCS tells you where you are. We can't get away with rotating objects; they are where they are. For larger sites, we typically have multiple UCSs: a UTM grid, a plant grid, maybe also a township grid.

[stelthorst]

My 2 cents

I agree with the previous posters who suggested xreffing in the plan and rotating the xreffed drawing. This has several advantages:

A. Updated plan drawings are automatically displayed on the elevation drawings.
B. Elevation drawings can be drawn in WCS without the need to rotate the UCS.
C. Elevation drawings can be drawn with a consistent 0,0 reference point thus allowing for easier match-ups.